Marvel’s Sinister War #4 brings an anti-climatic end to an ambitious storyline that brought thrilling twists and turns to Spider-Man’s journey.
Since the arrival of the demonic Kindred, Spider-Man’s life has been turned into a hellish nightmare. Branching off from the main Spider-Man line, the Sinister War miniseries sees the fiendish Kindred orchestrate a bloody beatdown to punish Peter Parker for his sins from the “One More Day” storyline. Implanting carnivorous centipedes in the brains of every supervillain that Spider-Man has fought over time, Kindred coerced the Sinister Six team to destroy Spider-Man once and for all in lieu of a torture-free afterlife in hell. Writers Ed Brisson and Nick Spencer are joined by a host of talented artists including inker Andrew Hennessy and legendary Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley to conclude an epic showdown.
Sinister War #4 opens with a new Sinister team, the Sinful Six — led by a resurrected Sin Eater — all-out attacking Spider-Man. In the hopes of putting some distance between his pursuers and the general safety of innocent bystanders, Spider-Man swings into a construction zone and hides to recoup. As a frustrated Kindred watches from afar, Morlun gets a hold of Spider-Man and tries to absorb his life force but is stopped in his tracks by Boomerang. Soon, and after a tragic death, war breaks out amongst the Sinister Sixes.
Assisting Nick Spencer with the endgame of the Sinister War arc is Ed Brisson, a creator who has a long-running history with Marvel Comics. Since the comic book is heavy on action, the use of narrative boxes to convey inner conflict is abundant. Sinister War #4’s narrative is split into two perspectives — one from a beaten, bleeding Spider-Man and the other from the evil Kindred’s. Brisson and Spencer do well in creating a tense atmosphere that’s full of action while keeping the comic’s plot on track and giving each supervillain a discernible voice.
The most notable feature of Sinister War #4 is its non-stop action that is encapsulated on the page by the remarkable art team of Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Andy Owens, Marcelo Ferreira, and Dio Neves. Despite the panels’ beautiful transitions, its action can sometimes be hard to follow. Still, the artwork captures the smallest of details and Mark Bagley’s distinguishable visuals on a double-page spread look spectacular. Colorists Reber and Crossley portray each character in their signature bright shades against a darker backdrop of a stormy night, which creates a grim ambiance as the web-slinger’s enemies close in upon him.
Sinister War #4 concludes the Sinister War arc, an event that began with the grandeur of a red-carpet affair, now ends among the rubble of a construction site. Even though the event served as an opportunity to tie up loose ends for Spencer as he reaches his finale, its ambitious premise falls flat when the runs’ final issue and epic battle ultimately leads to nowhere.
However, the twists and turns along the way make up for an interesting series of events that keeps the reader rooted in the story. Sinister War #4 is an anti-climactic end to a promising story that ultimately delivers a lackluster but pleasant read for Spider-Man fans.
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